Cutting mechanism for harvesters.



A. B. MEINHARDT.

CUTTING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. I916.

LQ2UQ2B Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

l/VVENTOR nnrr stra a ADAM B..MEINI-IARDT, OF PAXICO, KANSAS.

CUTTING MECHANISM FOR HARVESTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 242, 1917.

Original application filed December 30, 1915, Serial No. 69,469. Dividedand this application filed June 10,

1916. Serial No. 102,858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM B. MEINHARDT, residing at Paxico, in the countyof \Vabaunsee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cutting Mechanism for Harvesters, of which the followingis a specification.

My present invention relates to harvesters, and more particularly to thecutting mechanism thereof and the present invention has for its primaryobject to provide a cutting mechanism which is especially designed andadapted for use in the harvester which forms the subject-matter of myapplication for Let ters Patent filed December 30, 1915, Serial No.69,469, of which the present application is, in large part, a division.

The present invention has for its object to provide a cutting mechanismso arranged with relation to the platform apron that the fingers andknife bar are located close up to the front slide bar on which theplatform or canvas slides so as to make it possible to elevate shortgrain in better shape and form than is possible in those harvesters nowin common use and in which the knife bars are located at too great adistance from the platform canvas.

The invention includes those novel details of construction, combinationand arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described,then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of my harvester with myinvention applied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of a ortion of the mechanismshowing several fingers and a knife gnard in place, the knife appliance,however, being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4: and 5 are detail perspective views of two of the fingers.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective vi w of the knife guard.

Fig. 7 is a detail front elevation on a small scale showing how theknife bar is reciprocated.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals andletters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 257represents the platform canvas or apron, the front edge of which slideson the slide board 30-1 of the frame.

The cutting mechanism fingers 297 have a base .298 that eXtends sidewiseand is fastened to the forwardly extending supporting bar 299 (see Figs.2 and 3) by suitable screws 299, the bases 298 having recesses 300 intheir top faces to reduce the area in contact with the knife bar 301 towhich the knives 302 are fastened by rivets 302 or in any other suitablemanner. Knife guards 303 are secured to the front slide board 304 of theplatform frame and embrace the knives and knife bar between the adjacentfingers 297. The fingers 297 at each side of the knife guard 303 haveone of the projecting ends of the base 298 out off so that the knifeguard 303 can lie between adjacent fingers without interfering with theproperspacing of the fingers (see Figs. 2 and 5). In this manner, thecutting mechanism can be located close up to the platform canvas andleave the grain butts to project only slightly over the platform edgeafter the rain is cut and has fallen onto the plat form.

The knife guard 303 is secured to the supporting bar 299 by suitablescrews 299 (see Fig. 2) which pass through the screw holes 303 in thebase of the knife guard, the knife guard including the base portion, thevertical member 303 and the finger 303 which fits over the knife and mayhave a transverse groove 303 to permit easy passage of the heads of therivets 302 when the knife bar is reciprocated.

The knife bar is reciprocated by means of a crank and pitman connectionindicated in Fig. 7, by reference to which it will be seen that inbearings on the frame 44: is journaled an operating shaft 133 whichcarries a disk 17 5 having a crank pin 17 6 which is operativelyconnected by a connecting rod 177 to the slide bar 301 as at 17"?thereby imparting reciprocatory motion to the bar 301 from the rotarymotiton of the shaft 133.

It should be understood that the knife guards 303 are not necessarilyprovided between each pair of fingers but are provided at intervals ofeach five or six fingers.

297 are the ledger plates which are secured by screws 297 or otherwise,to the fingers in the knife slots and cooperate with the knives 302 inthe usual manner.

The finger bars have their bases 298 secured to the bar 299 by thescrews 299, the the bar 299 being sustained in position by reason of thefact that said bar 299 is secured by the screw bolts 299 to the guards303, which guards 303 are, in turn, bolted to the bar 304, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 3. The manner of securing the bar 299 in a fixedrelation to the bar 30 i is immaterial for the purpose of thisapplication, as any well known means for the purpose may be employed.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, the complete construction, operation and advantages of theinvention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art towhich the invention appertains.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a cutting mechanism for harvesters, thecombination with the supporting frame body over which the conveyercanvas slides, a bottom bar, means for holding said bar to projectforwardly from said body, a cutting mechanism supported on said body andbar in close juxtaposition to said body and comprising a set of fingers,each including laterally projecting base portions secured on the top ofsaid bar and held against said body, a knife bar slidable on said baseportions, knives on said knife bar, knife guards secured to saidprojecting bar and projected over said knives, and means to reciprocatesaid knife bar.

2. In a cutting mechanism for harvesters, the combination with thesupporting frame body over which the conveyer canvas is sliding, abottom bar, means for holding said. bottom bar to project forwardly fromsaid body, a cutting mechanism supported on said body and bar in closejuxtaposition to said body and comprising a set of fingers, eachincluding laterally projecting base portions secured on the top of saidbar and held against said body and having recessed upper faces, a knifebar slidable on said base portions, knives on said knife bar, knifeguards secured to said projecting bar and project ing over said knives,and means to reciprocate said knife bar.

3. In a cutting mechanism for harvesters, the combination with thesupporting body including a bar, means for holding said bar to extendforwardly from the body proper, a cutting mechanism supported on saidbody and its bar in close juxtaposition thereto and comprising a set offingers, each including laterally projecting base portions supported onsaid body and its bar, a knife bar slidable on said base portions,knives on said knife bar, knife guards secured to said body and its barand projecting over said knives, and means for reciprocating said knifebar, said base portions of said finger being recessed to reduce theareain engagement with said knife bar and thereby reduce friction.

4. In a cutting mechanism for harvesters, a supporting bar, a set offingers each in cluding a base portion having a lateral projection,means for securing said base portion to said supporting bar, each ofsaid fingers having knife slot passages, ledger plates secured in saidpassages, knife guards each including a base portion arranged be tween apair of fingers, said knife guard base portion and said finger baseportion lying in the same plane, a knifecarrying bar slidable on saidbase portions, knives carried by said bar to cooperate with saidfingers, said knife guards including portions projecting over saidknives to hold said knife bar down on said bases.

5. In a cutting mechanism for harvesters, a supporting bar, a set offingers each including a base portion having a lateral projection, meansfor securing said base portion to said supporting bar, each of saidfingers having knife slot passages, ledger plates secured in saidpassages, knife guards each including a base portion arranged between apair of fingers, said knife guard base portion and said finger baseportion lying in the same plane, a knife carrying bar slidable on saidbase portions, knives carried by said. bar to cooperate with saidfingers, said knife guard including portions projecting over saidknivesto hold said knife bar down on said bases, said knife guard projectingportions having transverse grooves on their under faces, said knivesbeing secured to said knife bar by members having heads to pass throughsaid grooves.

ADAM B. MEINHARDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

